Michelle Williams - Beyonce's Bandmate: 'I Can Understand Why The Big Stars Lip-sync'

Initial reports, sparked by remarks made by members of the U.S. Marines Band who accompanied the Halo singer in Washington, D.C., suggested Beyonce had mimed words to a pre-recorded backing track, but new audio footage uncovered by the Wall Street Journal clearly features the hitmaker singing live.

Now experts have suggested Beyonce may have used the pre-recorded track to bolster her vocals during the performance.

She has yet to confirm or deny the reports, but stars like Aretha Franklin and Leann Rimes have already defended her - if the lip-syncing claims are true - and now Williams is speaking out.

Refusing to be drawn on whether or not her ex-bandmate performed The Star-Spangled Banner live, the singer tells Entertainment Tonight, "I will say this, it's not the first or the last time that someone has had to lip-sync... My greatest singer of all time, Whitney Houston, it came to light that her anthem was in fact lip-synced.

"With big crowds and echoes, you know when it's a big historical moment, you don't want any room for any mistakes, so I can understand why it was done."